We’ve had an awesome response to our 10-Day Design Challenge - Games and Puzzles. But that’s made it so hard to choose a final group of 15 that our judges ended up with 17, and refused to cut it back. Below you can see pictures of each puzzle, and BELOW THE PICTURES is the voting panel. If you’re a Designer of one of the winners below, feel free to invite all your friends and family to vote for you. In our first Design Challenge there was a very lively discussion about the choice of winners. So for all of you with strong opinions this is your chance to make them heard.

Please note you can click on the images of each product to go to their individual showroom page for more detail. Some are obvious in how they work, but others are intricate and may need a closer look to understand. Please remember, clicking on the image is NOT A VOTE for the product, you need scroll down to the bottom of the post and make your choice in the poll located there. Good luck everyone!

1. zen the infinite puzzle

2. Portrait Puzzle

3. Ponoku Anyone

4. Marble Madness

5. Tessa

6. Underground Maze

7. Crane Mobile - 9mm

8. Pteradactyl - 9mm

9. Layer Puzzle

10. California County Puzzle

11. Match the Typeface

12. Build (h)and Share: Maze Maker

13. Grimly Dominoes

14. Erik & Styx Double-Sided Puzzle

15. Puzzle Box

16. InterlaceCircle

17. Gears

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The final part of the interview ends with Michael rejecting technology in favor of dirtying his hands, and ends with his latest projects, including a 3D puzzle, how convenient.

Q3. What technologies do you intend to use in the future?

for the moment, i’m taking a short break from technology. i want to spend some time getting hands on with materials for a while so that when i employ technological processes again it will be in a way that is messier and where the technology is perhaps not even noticeable. for me, i prefer it when the technology is not so prominent in the work, otherwise it becomes about the technology alone. i am also exploring aspects of decay and entropy in my work at the moment and have yet to find a tech process that fits this direction. more than likely it will be a combination of processes which allow for aspects of growth followed by acts of erosion and breakdown.

Q4. Are there any artists, designers or scientists using emerging technology that you find inspirational or sickening cause they did it first??

hmm, mostly i find architecture inspiring. zaha hadid’s designs often do it for me (the abu dhabi plan for example).
greg lynn’s blob wall got me because he did it first, and roxy paine’s automated sculpture and painting machines from a few years back still get me.

Q5. What are you currently working on?

A small scale sculpture for a multiple work. still in the idea stage but i am thinking of a sculpture that acts a bit like a 3d puzzle, with 10-15 interlocking geometric parts. it will probably end up being made from moulded resin and concrete parts. as this stage it is more a sense of the thing i have, the scale of it, it’s materiality, how one should interact with it etc. the final form will take a bit of experimentation.
i’m also working on a collaborative proposal with an architect (wulf walter boettger) for a series of installation works form wallpaper patterns using plotted vinyl, to architectonic sculptural elements using perspex and expanding foam.

So there we have the final installment of Michael Kutschbach’s interview. Perhaps we will see some of his latest work as part of the Ponoko Games & Puzzles, 10 day challenge?

Oh Yeah, Michael is represented by Greenaway Art Gallery

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Since we’re talking about puzzles and games, I thought it was worth pointing out Lee Krasnow. Lee is a puzzle-maker from San Francisco, and creates some awesomely perplexing objects! There is a great interview with him over at makezine, in which he talks the viewer through some of his puzzles and introduces us to his method of working.

Lee Krasnow (above, makezine) and one of his puzzles, 2-in-1 (below, pwdbp.com)

Perhaps the most incredible thing is that Lee’s tool of choice is a table-saw. Using a jig of his own design, he manages to cut highly precise and tiny parts – he has posted an instructable describing how to make some jigs and ten of his puzzles here. It’s daunting, but highly inspiring stuff and makes me think that there’s no reason why a laser-cut puzzle should be just a 2D affair.

In fact my favourite Ponoko project of late has been Carbon by ckharnett (a recent product of the week) – a game-like geometric construction of simply hexagons, pentagons and triangular connectors. The constructions possible with this system are endless!

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In the spirit of Ponoko’s latest 10 Day Challenge, myself and the other writers are diving deep into the theme. Here are a couple of images of traditional games by puzzle creator and academic Jacques Haubrich.

This sleek board would also be great with a set of die cut and ornately engraved checkers.

I love how the classic tic-tac-toe frame is a separate puzzle in itself.

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Animob is a beautifully simple jigsaw puzzle designed by Mobilet.

Produced in laser-cut acrylic featuring a series of interlocking animal shapes, the Animob is a great example of what can be achieved with stylized illustration of 2D forms.

The french-australian team that make up Mobilet are Tanguy Le Moing and Antonia Pesenti. Industrial designer and architect, Tanguy and Antonia were based in Paris until 2003, working for the likes of Jean Nouvel and Philippe Starck. mobilet was established after their arrival in Sydney in 2003.

So why not take up the Ponoko 10 Day Design Challenge, and design your own puzzle,
$5,000 is up for grabs for the hottest games and puzzles.
Enter your designs between May 1st and 10th.
Get details here

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Our 10-Day Design Challenge - Games and Puzzles is now well under way. We hope that you’re getting your designs into Ponoko. But if you’re looking for that inspiration to get to work on it we have it in the announcement that Ronen Kadushin will be the Guest Judge for the Challenge. Ronen has a degree in industrial design from the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, is a winner of numerous design awards, and is well known as a design leader in creating open designs. You can check out his portfolio to get an idea of his own work.

One other point to keep in mind for the Design Challenge, our Guest Judge will not be the only factor in deciding the winners. Due to popular request we will be adding a fan voting system for the latest 10-Day Design Challenge. This gives you an opportunity to really encourage your friends and family to get behind you and give you the votes you deserve. We’ll be announcing the voting system on the blog as soon as it’s ready so watch this space and get ready to start campaigning like Hillary and Barack.

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- image via Flickr

We want to make it easy for you to do cool stuff. And with the fantastic response we got from our first Design Challenge we’ve decided to run another one showcasing Games and Puzzles. So this is another chance to show off your design skills, get your creations made and delivered to your door for free. Oh, and win $1,000 in cash plus several thousand dollars in other prizes.

Design brief

Games and Puzzles can educate and entertain. They can be a solitary exercise or a group activity and when you have memorized how it goes together, you can pass it on to friends or family.

Your challenge is to create intriguing and entertaining games or puzzles on a laser cutter – within 10 days!

Laser cutting brings a new angle to games and puzzles. The ability to create incredibly intricate detail means the games and puzzles can be as simple or as complex as you like. The traditional jigsaw shape can now be designed with much greater variety and intricacy.

Laser surface treatments can be a graphic in nature or a texture. How these are used is essential in the design of your puzzle. Every mark or line on the material becomes a clue on how to put the puzzle together.

Your creations need not be 2D. You could make a 3D puzzle using layers or shapes connected in an interesting way. Think about how multiple pieces can be combined to create an interesting design.

Attention to detail, material combinations, connections, production feasibility and quality will be key to making your design stand out.

Prizes

Up to $5,000 in prizes are up for grabs:

Open Round
Everyone is invited to submit a product design – the more times you enter the more opportunity you have of winning:

* The top 15 designs will be made for free – that’s materials, making and shipping to your door.
* Plus they’ll be invited to be submitted into the Invitation Round.

Invitation Round
The top 15 designs from the Open Round will go head to head:

* The top product will win $1,000 cash.
* The two runners up will each win $500 cash.
* The ‘People’s Choice’ product will win a $500 Ponoko voucher.

Design requirements

* It must be possible for Ponoko to make the main component of your design.
* Designs must be new (i.e. not already hosted on Ponoko).
* You can only use materials in the Ponoko materials catalog.
* You can use extras such as fixings in your design (supplied and assembled by you).
* If you submit multiple designs, they must be unique. Please don’t just submit iterations of the same design.
* Designs may be as simple or as complex as you want.

Judging

There are two phases to the judging process:

Open Round – Submit your product design idea to win up to 15 prizes

* The first round will be judged on a graphic representation and a description of your idea uploaded to your Ponoko Showroom. (See ‘How to enter’ below for more information about submitting your design).
* Entries will be accepted between May 1st and May 10th 2008.
* 15 designs will be selected by a panel of judges.

If your design is selected among the top 15 entries, we will make it and ship it to you free of charge. We will also invite you to enter your product into the Invitation Round …

Invitation Round – Submit your finished product to win up to $2,500 in prizes

* This final round will be judged on photographs of your assembled product and a description of it uploaded to your Ponoko Showroom. (See ‘How to enter’ below for more information about submitting your product).
* Entries will be accepted up until May 30th 2008.
* 4 winning products will be selected by a panel of judges and community voting: 3 products will be selected by the judges and 1 will be selected by the community. If a product selected by the community has also been selected by the judges then the next best as voted by the community will win the ‘People’s Choice Award’.

People’s Choice Award

Community voting for the Invitation Round will be held on our blog between May 15th and May 30th 2008. We will post the top 15 on our blog for the community to vote. So tell your friends and family to head over to our blog to get voting for you!

Judging criteria

Entries/finalists will be judged on the following criteria, in no particular order:

1. Innovation in design concept.
2. Clarity and resolution of design and final product.
3. Originality.
4. Presentation and photography.
5. Interesting use of material(s).
6. Attention to detail.
7. Production feasibility and quality.

Judging panel

The judging panel is made up of representatives from Ponoko along with the Ponoko community – people you give a nudge to come and vote for you on our blog for the ‘People’s Choice Award’.

How to enter

There are 2 rounds to enter:

Open Round –

May 1st to 10th 2008 – you’ve got 10 days to enter!
Go to your MyPonoko account and upload the following elements into your Showroom:

1. Product design .eps files;
2. Photos/images representing the final product;
3. Up to 200 words describing your idea;
4. Enter the tag “PuzzleChallenge”.

Tip: The key here is getting your idea across. The images need to show what your design looks like (sketches, renders, photos, 3D drawings) plus you need to include a description of up to 200 words that communicates your design concept. 3D sketches and photos of well-crafted cardboard models are great ways to show what something will look like. Remember, your entry must be submitted between May 1st and 10th. This means you have just 10 days to come up with an idea and upload it into your Ponoko Showroom. This is the challenge – we want to see how good you really are!

Thursday May 15th 2008 – we announce the winners of the Open Round

Congratulations! The top 15 entries will be made and shipped for free and go through to the Invitation Round. We will post these top 15 on our blog for community voting to commence. So you can tell your friends and family to get voting to win the People’s Choice Award.

Friday May 23rd 2008 – we will have delivered the top 15 products to the Open Round winners

If you’re one of our Open Round winners, we’ll be busy making and shipping your stuff to you. Once you get it, you will have about a week to assemble your product, add any finishing touches, photograph it and upload the new photos into your Ponoko Showroom to be eligible for the Invitation Round prizes.

Invitation Round –

Friday May 30th 2008 – entries close for the Invitation Round

Go to your MyPonoko account and upload the following elements into your Showroom:

1. Photos of your final assembled product;
2. Put your product or product plan on sale in your Showroom, with a price to buy it;
3. The tag “PuzzleChallengeFinalist”.

Tip: Photos on a plain white or black background look best. Use a tripod if possible and avoid using a flash. If your camera has a macro function using this will help with any close up photos or detail shots. And remember to get your friends and family voting for you!

Tuesday June 3rd 2008 – we announce the winners of the Invitation Round

Congratulations! The grand prize winner will receive $1,000, the top 2 finalists will get $500 and the People’s Choice Award winner will receive a $500 Ponoko voucher.

Some important details

For those who are interested in the fine print, here you go - Ponoko 10-Day Design Challenge – Games and Puzzles terms, eligibility, intellectual property and copyright

Please contact us if you need help with any aspect of this challenge.

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